Back when I first loaded up Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine for the Xbox 360, life was good. It was the heady days of 2011, and I was a teenager - a typically broke teenager, obsessed with the dense canon of the Warhammer universe but lacking the funds to purchase all those tiny, ludicrously expensive figurines and the paints with which to adorn them. A used copy of Space Marine, though? That I could afford, and I bloody loved it.

At the time, I thought it was what I'd been looking for: a crunching, brutal simulation of life as one of the God-Emperor's titular supersoldiers. I cleaved my way through swaths of Orks, chainsword buzzing and boltgun cracking. I was a force of nature, a thousand-kilo unstoppable fridge on legs. The ground shook as I marched, slow but inorexable, towards increasingly gory victories. And at the time, I was wrong.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is what I was really looking for. Did you know that Space Marines can fight for five days straight without rest, jump four meters straight up into the air, and run as fast as 90 kilometers per hour? I did, and apparently Auroch Digital (the developers of Boltgun) did too; here, you're not a plodding tank, you're an elephant with rockets strapped to it. 

 Okay, boomer 

Boltgun is what we affectionately refer to as a 'boomer shooter' - a first-person shooter in the vein of 90s classics such as Doom and Quake, and a genre that has enjoyed something of a resurgence in recent years since the latter series' 2016 reboot.

The enormous popularity of Doom 2016 and its speed-metal sequel Doom Eternal spawns plenty of riffs (no pun intended) on the theme. Many of these, like the excellent Dusk and early-access gem Ultrakill, have eschewed modern graphics in favor of a return to the low-poly glory of their forebears, and it is this path that Boltgun treads.

In the style of the very first Doom, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun utilizes both 3D and 2D art styles; blocky, three-dimensional polygons used to build the gameworld, and flat pixel-art sprites for the (extremely numerous) enemies that occupy it. It's a timeless style, and enemy models have the exact right amount of detail to make them visually distinct without compromising the retro aesthetic.

The environments are similarly excellent. Starting out in the snow-blasted outskirts of a derelict industrial fortress, Boltgun mixes things up every time I started to worry my surroundings might be getting stale: military settlements give way to demon-infested catacombs, gothic cathedrals, and cavernous forges dripping with molten metal. Each chapter of the campaign is broken into pleasingly bite-sized levels that can be completed in under an hour apiece.

Sound design wasn’t skimped on, either. The soundtrack provides exactly the sort of pulse-pounding combination of industrial metal and grand orchestral overtures that I’d expect from a Warhammer 40,000 game, and the sound effects - especially those of the guns - are fantastic. I particularly appreciate how much care was taken to differentiate the sounds of different spent bullet casings and shotgun shells hitting the floor; imperceptible in the heat of battle, but perfectly punctuating the final moments of a lengthy gunfight. 

 Fighting the hordes of Chaos 

There’s not much going on in the way of story here, but that’s okay: Boltgun understands that nobody is really here to watch lengthy cutscenes, they’re here to blast demons. You occupy the power-armored boots of the nameless Sternguard Veteran, summoned by an Imperial Inquisitor to investigate suspicious (read: demonic) goings-on down on the surface of a Forge World.

You get an intro cinematic, lovingly rendered in old-school pixel-art stills, and you get occasional expository dialogue from your sole companion - a hovering servo-skull, which for the uninitiated is a human skull turned into a helper drone - but for the most part, the plot takes a back seat to the action, which is fine. There are actually a few interesting little narrative beats later on (which, incredibly, relate in part to the events of 2011’s Space Marine), but I won’t spoil anything here.

Anyone who has played even a single boomer shooter will probably feel right at home here. There’s a sort of beautiful simplicity to Boltgun; you have your guns, your chainsword, and your grenades, and that’s about it. There is a sort of melee charge ability with a cooldown that can apparently stun some enemies, but I found it a bit too unreliable in the heat of combat.

I turned on sprint toggle in the settings menu after playing the first chapter with my finger glued to the shift key, since many of Boltgun’s battles encourage you to keep moving as much as possible. You really are incredibly fast and agile, deepening the power fantasy as you weave between enemy projectiles to deliver a crunching chainsword finisher. Obstacles to getting into this ‘flow state’ are minimized; fall to your death and the game resets you almost instantly. 

 For the Emperor of Mankind 

There’s no minimap (or any other kind of map) but only very rarely did I get lost. Levels are mostly linear, with some of the expected back-tracking and key-hunting here and there but nothing that takes you out of the action for too long. Quite frequently, you’ll find yourself locked in a large room with waves of enemies to clear out before you can progress, but the designs of these arenas are strong and varied enough that this never feels like a chore.

The overall level of challenge feels exceptionally well-balanced. I played on Hard and didn’t die once during the first chapter, but later levels ramped up the difficulty to a point that felt punishing but not unfair. There are a handful of mildly annoying enemies - the flying Screamers can be a pain to deal with - but for the most part, I found Boltgun to provide a sound degree of difficulty throughout.

In a rather amusing juxtaposition to the Imperium’s cold in-lore authoritarianism, there are some solid accessibility features here, including an invincibility mode that allows you to experience the whole game in true power fantasy mode. You can also adjust the ‘retro’ settings to increase pixelation or reduce draw distances, in case you’re roleplaying as a person who lives in 1995.

Naturally, as a classic shooter, Boltgun’s levels are littered with ammo and health pickups, which are frequently placed for player direction. You’ve got armor too, stylized here as holy ‘Contempt’ for the forces of evil. There are also secret items hidden around each level, some of which grant you temporary bonuses like unlimited ammo or boosted damage, which helps to encourage extra exploration.

 Guns, guns, guns 

Speaking of ammo, let’s talk about Boltgun’s boltgun. The first weapon you acquire, this iconic Space Marine sidearm is simultaneously the game’s biggest strength and its greatest weakness.

You see, it’s absolutely awesome. This thing feels so damn good to fire, like a blessed full-auto lovechild of Bulletstorm’s Peacemaker and Doom Eternal’s Heavy Cannon. Rank-and-file enemies explode into showers of pixelated gore with just a few shots, with stellar sound design and physical feedback.

Why is this a problem? Because it’s the first gun you get, and I didn’t feel enthused to use most of the ones that came after. Boltgun has a total of eight weapons, and only one - the highly enjoyable Vengeance Launcher - really reached the same level of enjoyment as the boltgun. I rarely felt compelled to use anything else. In fact, I actively avoided the Heavy Bolter due to its movement speed cap, which felt counterproductive to the fun I was having zooming around at speeds approaching Mach 1.

The problem this creates is that while the Sternguard Veteran’s signature firearm is great fun to use, the game employs the tabletop game’s ‘weapon strength vs enemy toughness’, whereby a weapon will deal reduced damage to an enemy with a higher toughness stat. This system isn’t explained particularly well (there’s very little handholding here) but it’s fairly intuitive provide you keep an eye on the numbers next to enemy health bars.

What this means in practice is that certain strong enemies are less affected by lower-strength guns; the 3-strength shotgun is fine for clearing out packs of lesser demons, but come up against a 5-toughness Chaos Terminator and you’re going to want something like the more powerful plasma gun. The boltgun itself is 4-strength, though - not even the lowest-strength gun in the game - which doesn’t really encourage you to switch off it unless you absolutely have to.

 The annihilation of your enemies 

Really, though, this feels like a bit of a minor gripe for me when the game is just this fun to play. Perhaps other players will love the Heavy Bolter’s slow but relentless stream of leaden death, or find that the charge dash mechanic is actually great for them. 

There’s enough here for every shooter fan to enjoy, and the simple fact is that I had a ton of fun playing Boltgun. It delivers exactly what it promises: high-octane shooter action that draws on some of the best its setting has to offer.

Existing fans of the 40,000 universe are certain to appreciate the dedicated recreation of an Imperium Forge World and all the horrible, demonic, no-good inhabitants you’ll gun down while exploring it, but part of Boltgun’s beauty is that you don’t need to know a damn thing about the Warhammer canon to enjoy it. You’re a supersoldier in power armor and your job is to kill demons. What are you waiting for? Hop to it.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun was reviewed on PC with a code supplied by the publisher. 

Logitech Pro X 2 Lightspeed: Two-minute review

The Logitech Pro X 2 Lightspeed clearly has some massive shoes to fill. Its predecessor, the Logitech Pro X Lightspeed, may be almost three years old at this point, but Logitech has done such a fantastic job with it, it’s kind of become iconic with its gorgeous luxe gaming aesthetic and its impressive sound making it very hard to top. 

But Logitech is nothing but inventive when it comes to its flagship products – and inventive is exactly what you need to be when you’re hoping to improve upon an already amazing release. It rolled up its sleeves not just to refine that already stunning design on the Logitech Pro X Lightspeed, but also to improve the innards – or more specifically, the diaphragm inside. You know, that part of a speaker driver that’s responsible for turning an electrical audio signal into airwaves to create sound.

Yeah, that’s right. To usurp one of the best gaming headsets of the last 10 years, Logitech went back to its labs and created its one 90% graphene diaphragm-fitted drivers all for the sake of giving you an even better gaming experience. And its efforts were not in vain.

Still, there’s an elephant in the room that needs to be addressed: is this gaming headset worth all the effort?

Before I do, let’s talk about design. The Logitech Pro X 2 Lightspeed, as I mentioned, boasts some external improvements over its predecessor. First of all, it’s noticeably lighter – 40g less, to be specific – and more compact, which makes it a lot more travel-friendly. It’s a nice perk as I adore its overall look that blends elegance with that pro-gamer style and want to take it with me on my travels as a pair of headphones.

There’s another addition here that lends itself well to that, the rotating hinge on each yoke, which lets you rotate the ear cups to flatten the headset for stowing (although, just like its predecessor, it also comes with a fancy travel pouch). That’s not to mention it allows the headset to conform to different head shapes and improve its overall comfort.

Adding to its versatility and travel-friendliness are the detachable 6mm cardioid mic and the three different connectivity options. You’re getting Logitech’s LIGHTSPEED wireless that has a maximum range of 30m as well as Bluetooth and 3.5mm wired connectivity. 

Back to comfort, both its earcups and headband are still swathed in soft-to-touch leatherette. But to give users another option, Logitech throws in a pair of velour earpads that you can easily switch in for the leatherettes especially if you tend to run hot and sweat a lot when gaming.

Because it is lighter, it does feel better on my head than my Pro X Lightspeed. However, I have tested even lighter gaming headsets in the past, and with Logitech really touting how light its graphene drivers are, I’m surprised it couldn’t design the actual headset to be a lot lighter. As far as the clamping force, there’s just enough for a secure but not too tight fit.

Internally, there’s considerable refinements as well, primarily in the drivers inside the earcups. As I mentioned earlier, Logitech essentially designed its own Pro-G Graphene audio drivers, each of which house a diaphragm that is 90% graphene by weight. Now, I’m not going to get into the specifics of how it works exactly, but essentially this diaphragm is better than the mylar diaphragm that most gaming headsets use as it’s more rigid and lightweight, resulting in more accurate reproduction of sound waves. In addition, Logitech set the graphene diaphragm on a live edge suspension, which also minimizes distortion.

As a result, you should be getting more accurate and more detailed audio as well as a more immersive experience. And, in that, the Logitech Pro X 2 Lightspeed succeeds.

The original Logitech Pro X Lightspeed was a pleasure to use but was far from neutral. Its bright frequency range with restrained mids and bass is a far cry from what its successor has become.

While on the warmer side, the highs on the Logitech Pro X 2 Lightspeed are present with certain in-game elements sounding just as detailed as they would on brighter headphones. Even the twinkling sounds of revealed items in Hogwarts Legacy still sparkle with clarity though the audio overall sounds darker. Meanwhile, the mids are full without getting muddy. However, that changes when surround sound is on (more on that later). Finally, there’s a big low end that is quite present but well controlled. In Cyberpunk 2077, there was a lot of low end information from music to sound cues  yet it never seemed to overpower the rest of the sound frequencies.

The soundstage is quite impressive. In stereo mode, the soundstage is already wide with excellent sound imaging. Also in Cyberpunk 2077, I can clearly hear elements off to the side even when there’s a lot of ambient noise – like when I’m walking into a bar where the music is blasting punctuated by the sounds of arcade machines, I can still distinctly recognize three or four different voices coming through the TVs and radios in the room. Better than that, I’m able to accurately place them.

I do have mixed feelings about the audio as soon as I turn on the DTS X Spatial Sound. Though that virtual surround sound makes everything much more immersive, especially compared to its predecessor, it doesn’t make the soundstage wider, just more three dimensional. It also greatly affects the frequency range. In particular, the mids, which are already prominent to begin with, tend to be even more pronounced so that while you’re still hearing all the other elements clearly, you’re hearing a lot more of the environmental sounds and score. It’s not too bad, but, after a while, you might get a slight headache.

The DTS X Spatial Sound does lend itself surprisingly well to music thanks to its Super Stereo mode. With both Rihanna’s Lift Me Up and Aoife O’Donovan’s Loretta, turning on that mode makes me feel like I’m in a concert hall watching a live performance, instead of at my desk playing something on Spotify.

Just be careful when using these headphones, however, as they have a lot of volume. I find that having the volume at 70 out of 100 is more than enough for immersion, and too much when the surround sound is on.

The mic has plenty of volume as well. Though it’s not the crispest sounding, losing some definition even to the original Logitech Pro X Lightspeed, it does come through loud and clear. It also does a good job of minimizing background noise as well as handling sibilance. As this is a Blue-enabled mic, just be careful when using all the processing available in the G Hub as the mic audio can quickly get distorted. If you decide to dive into the app and use Blue Voice, fully commit and really finetune all the settings.

Speaking of the G Hub app, there’s a lot of customizations on hand as well as game-specific presets. The Logitech Pro X 2 Lightspeed already sounds great without customizations, but just know that you do have things like a five-band EQ, all the surround sound settings, and game presets to play around with.

Rounding all that out is its decent battery life of up to 50 hours on a single charge. That’s not too bad, but there are certainly longer lasting headsets out there. If you play for eight hours a day, just make a habit out of charging at the end of every week.

Logitech Pro X 2 Lightspeed: Price & availability

• How much does it cost? $249 / €269 (about AU$375)
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

At $249 / €269 (about AU$375), the Logitech Pro X 2 Lightspeed is pricier than many gaming headsets on the market. It’s also pricier than the Logitech Pro X Lightspeed, which is kind of disappointing as I was hoping it would be around the same price.

Compared to the best wireless gaming headsets on the market, it sits comfortably in the mid range, however. There are several pricier options like the Audeze Maxwell, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, and the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro. 

There are also cheaper alternatives like the Corsair HS55 Wireless and the Corsair HS80 RGB USB.

However, with its new drivers, fantastic sound stage and imaging, and comfortable fit, not to mention all the features crammed into the app, it deserves to be in the conversation with the more premium headsets on that list, which means you’re really getting a great value here.

• Value: 4 / 5

Logitech Pro X 2 Lightspeed: Specs

Should you buy the Logitech Pro X 2 Lightspeed?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Logitech Pro X 2 Lightspeed: Also consider

How I tested the Logitech Pro X 2 Lightspeed

• Spent a couple of days testing it
• Used it for gaming, streaming, and music listening
• Tested it with a variety of games, songs, and movies

I used the Logitech Pro X 2 Lightspeed as my gaming headset for a couple of days, using it as my main headset for gaming, music listening, and making video calls at work.

Besides using it with games like Cyberpunk 2077, and Hogwarts Legacy, I also used it to listen to songs like Rihanna’s Lift Me Up and Aoife O’Donovan’s Loretta.

I’ve been testing, reviewing, and using gaming headsets for years as a freelance tech journalist and now as one of the Computing editors at TechRadar. My years of experience along with my discerning audio tastes make me more than qualified to test and vet these devices for you.

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First reviewed [Month Year]

Glorious GMMK Pro: Two-minute review

The Glorious GMMK Pro is one of those products that can be polarizing. On one hand, I can see why a lot of people love this mechanical keyboard, but on the other, I can also understand why many from the modding community aren't too keen on both the keyboard itself – and the company behind it.

After spending a couple of weeks using it as my main keyboard for work and for gaming, I’ve really come to appreciate why it’s gotten top marks from our peers. It’s a solid choice that’s not too shabby-looking either – probably among the best keyboards out there, whether you’re looking for a gaming keyboard or a productivity one. 

But, after also building it myself, I can honestly say that it’s not all rainbows and unicorns either. While all the big parts – the top case, the switches, the keycaps, even the PCB – feel robust and premium, the small bits, particularly the tiny screws that keep the whole board together, aren’t top quality.  

Some easily stripped at my first attempt to unscrew them, and one seems to have molded itself into the original switch plate that came with my barebone board, which isn’t something you want from a keyboard that’s supposed to be completely modifiable. I had to take mine to a jeweler, and even they had issues taking this pesky screw out.

On top of that, there seem to be some quality control issues as well. One of the screw holes on the polycarbonate switch plate I received for modding was too big for any of the included screws, which means that my review unit has a screw missing. And, while that doesn’t seem to have impacted performance, keyboard modders would certainly get turned off by it.

However, if Glorious manages to fix those issues, the Glorious GMMK Pro would probably be unstoppable. First of all, it makes it incredibly easy for beginner builders and modders to build their own boards from scratch, especially thanks to Glorious’ online configurator that lets you easily pick and choose all the parts you’ll need so that you can focus less on whether you’re picking the right ones and more on the building process itself. 

Second of all, as I said earlier, the rest of it feels robust, and probably a lot tougher than many of the enthusiast mechanical keyboards that I spend money on monthly. And, honestly, if you care at all about aesthetics, you’ll appreciate just how gorgeous it can be, especially if you mod it to fit your own setup. Most of the parts, from the keycaps and rotary knob to the top frame and switch plate come in different colors (and sometimes, types).

The RGB lighting, which you’ll also find at the sides for a touch of ambient lighting, is bright and vibrant, and while it is a little on the heavy side at 3.3 lbs (1.51Kg), its 75% with 82 keys layout saves you space while ensuring you’ve still got access to keys that are vital to productivity. Even the cable is removable so you can spring for a coiled one that’s more robust and better looking.

Thanks to the straightforward and effortless-to-navigate Glorious Core app, it’s not just the physical board that’s customizable. You can also change its RGB lighting to change per-key colors, switch lighting effects, and adjust brightness, as well as adjust polling rate (125Hz, 250Hz, 500Hz, 1,000Hz) and input latency (2ms, 8ms, 16ms). And, as this is a gaming keyboard, the software will also let you bind any key to another key, a combination of keys, a mouse function, a macro, or a shortcut. Yes, this has fully programmable keys. You can even create profiles and layers.

An important thing to note, however, is that some users have reported bugs with their Glorious keyboards, and I noticed a few as well in the beginning. The first time I plugged it into my gaming PC, only the volume dial and RGB lighting were working. The keys themselves weren’t responsive, and I had to scour the internet for a solution. Luckily, it was simply a matter of opening the Glorious Core app and changing the current profile. I didn’t experience any other issues after.

The keys themselves are great to type on. They have more like a clacking sound, and while I’m more partial to a good thock sound, these aren’t too loud and definitely better than the annoying clicky ones. Meanwhile, the switches – I used both of Glorious’ Panda and Lynx mechanical switches – are very responsive and accurate, especially the Panda ones. And, they kept up with me, whether I was writing an article, composing email messages, or playing titles like Cyperpunk 2022, Rocket League, Hogwarts Legacy, and Kena: Bridge of Spirits.

There’s also no need to worry about latency here as it’s a wired keyboard – something that many gamers prefer over wireless options.

Glorious GMMK Pro: Price & availability

• How much does it cost? From $169.99 (about £140 / AU$250) 
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

The Glorious GMMK Pro isn’t going to be cheap, especially if you’re looking to build your own kit. The prebuilt version will set you back $349.99 (about £285 / AU$525) in the US, and that’s already a little too steep for most people. Building your own if you were to mod every single part will cost you a whole lot more, with the barebone kit already setting you back $169.99 (about £140 / AU$250), which is about the same as many prebuilt keebs from other enthusiast keyboard brands.

My own kit cost $169.99 for the barebone kit plus a $19.99 polycarbonate switch plate, $34.99 Glorious Lynx switches, $34.99 Glorious Pandas, $49.99 pastel PBT keycaps, a $59.99 aqua blue top frame, a $9.99 aqua blue rotary knob, and a $49.99 electric blue coiled cable. I also got a $7.99 switch puller as well. That’s a lot of money for many beginner modders to spend.

If you can afford it, however, you’ll be pleased to know that Glorious ships to the UK and Australia.

•  Value: 3 / 5 

Glorious GMMK Pro: Specs

Should you buy the Glorious GMMK Pro?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Glorious GMMK Pro: Also consider

How I tested the Glorious GMMK Pro

• I spent half a day building this then a couple of weeks testing it
• I tested it for work and for gaming
• I used it on my work applications as well as different PC games

Because I got the keyboard-building kit version, I spent some time building the actual keyboard before getting around to testing it. After it was built, I tested it for two weeks, using it as my main keyboard for productivity and play.

I used it for composing work emails, writing work documents and articles, and playing PC games like Cyperpunk 2022, Rocket League, Hogwarts Legacy, and Kena: Bridge of Spirits.

A self-professed keyboard enthusiast with a modest but expanding mechanical keyboard collection, I've also been testing and reviewing keyboards for gaming, productivity, and creative work for years. While this is my first time building a keyboard from scratch, I have been modding my own keebs since 2022.

We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.

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First reviewed March 2023